Was watching Life Below Zero- The Next Generation last night and noticed the guy (Michael Manzo?) hunting moose and shooting a nice bull with a Win Model 1895 set up as a "scout" rifle with a forward mounted Leupold scope. I remember a thread on here about a guy doing the same thing with an 1895 and just wondering if it is the same guy? I know Chip Hailstone is on here occasionally. Cool rifle.....

Yep, same guy. Mainer in Ak is his screen name.

that's Mainer......saw him yesterday.......we do some rifle swapping at times.

he's busy with his malemutes and some winter trips.

Have one similarly arranged, but have not dumped moose with it yet.

I have a Marlin 1895 45/70 set up the same way, figure that would work pretty well for moose if I get the chance.....

Good moose medicine

I have had several 1895's and just could not get that warm fuzzy feeling. Ended up sending them all down the road. Probably the least handy "carrying" rifle I ever had. Good guns though.

I saw that episode as well and mentioned it in a thread: What Cartridge is This?, in that thread, dSmith_45 mentioned that there was an outfit in AK that converted them to .411 Hawk or possibly .375 Scovill, but I thought it was a .405 WCF. No way to know without contacting Mainer though.

Those freight canoes he builds are pretty slick as well.

Michael is my Surface Drive motor dealer, or was. I think he liked my 405 Win, 1895 but they aren't easy to find so he made a wildcat 410 O& M. He describes it here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMYUeH2-a7c

A friend from Australia purchased a one-user Miroku 1895 .405 WCF with a scout scope from a hunter in Florida that had used it in Africa and had it shipped to a friend in Texas who was also a friend and hunting buddy of mine. We all got together to hunt exotics on a south Texas ranch and shot that rifle and others at exploding targets - some fun! Impossible to miss with the scoped 1895.The new owner then shot several trophy animals with it before having it packed up and shipped down under. He has since shot big game with it in Australia and Africa. A deadly cartridge /rifle combination.

My 1895 .405 has a receiver sight and has taken its share of Texas game and exotics and a Cape Buff in Africa.

Mainer gave me advice on using the Browning BLR scout mount on my 1895 Browning in 30-40. Turned out great and I use it on our deer drive days. I kept a Williams peep the 30-06 takedown so I have choices depending on the hunt. I have all of the John Browning designed Winchesters but I think that the 95 is my favorite.

I thought about doing the scout thing on mine but its original built in 1911. It has the Lyman style peep and I used it to shoot a bison last year.


Lefty

Hes a decent guy. Ive messaged him a few times on here about certain details on environmental conditions reguarding bolt guns and some levers. Didnt know he was on a TV show but then again i dont have TV.

Hes used the old 1895 win, savage 99, and Browning BLR. I i recall correctly he told me the compact Ruger bolt actions were stellar and reliable more than those various leverguns.

Anyway good luck to him, hope he stays safe.

Does he live in Delta ?

Its been my experience that the M77 Mk2/Hawkeye is the battle rifle of sporting rifles.
More reliable than the Springfield , Enfield, and all the commercial 98 Mausers I've had and used.
None of the enclosed bolt face (push feed) bolt rifles come close.

One of the Alaska shows, Life Below Zero , iirc has a guy from Huslia. He usually packs a Ruger M77 Hawkeye Scout rifle and I've also seen him with a Guide Gun/Rifle in 375 Ruger.
For his application they are the Perfect rifles.

Yep. He kilt a huge moose with his Ruger Scout .308

Hi, I live about 29 miles out of town up on tenderfoot hill. Been there about 5 years now. I did take a year from my Tenderfoot hill base camp to train my dogs up in the northwest arctic. I have a boat building shop in delta junction. I have 18 malamutes, so pretty busy this time of year training and hauling winter camps and hunting caribou a by dog team.

Aw cool. The HILL.
What kind of boats do you build ?
I used to want to build a Caulkin's Bartender.
Now that everything has changed. I'm not interested in putting in in Valdez. Getting thru Canada to put in in Haines isn't all that appealing either. Ahh well. Save me money.

Mainer builds a very high quality freight canoe designed for Alaska's shallow rivers.
With his current stardom and dog training, canoe building is probably on the back burner.

I"ll swing by to chat when I"m in town once. Be great to shake your hand. Need to do that with Vern too... sooner or later we'll cross paths.

Ctf,
I agree with you on the rugers. They're too darn simple and rugged to overlook. Same with the cz 550s. The cz stocks are too clubby though, in the pistol grip. Ruger 77 stocks are sleek perfection.

Vern, I still knock out them boats. My last were two 18 footers delivered to moose hunters down in sterling & soldotna in august. A green one and a blue one. Then got covid 19 delivering those boats.

Heading home, I pulled a 292 inline six chevy from an old truck in wasilla, I felt weak lifting the block into my truck bed and knew something was wrong. Got tested in fairbanks, then isolated in my boat shop.

Sweaty, feverish and fatigued, I isolated in my shop and built my 22 footer and built my custom Honda motor. Had to drink a 1/2 gallon of coffee per day, just to find the energy to finish.

Tail end of covid after my boat build, I hand split 5 cord of firewood. I think the virus realized my body was a fked up choice and promptly left.

Rost,

Shop door is open in the spring as I do more boat building in the warmer weather: less heating fuel. Stop on by.

Bunch of old local fellers come over and loiter all the time talkin hunting n fishing. I'll probably put a pool table and beer fridge in back corner to occupy them locals, so I can actually get some work done.